Oviedo in 2 Days: everything you need to know

With its medieval aesthetics and the imprint of its churches, Oviedo is one of the most important cities in Asturias and also one of the most visited in northern Spain, especially in short breaks of a few days, so with the right itinerary it is possible to discover the Vetusta in a 48-hour trip.

Among the activities you can see and do in Oviedo is to walk around the old town to visit the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Plaza del Fontán and the Municipal Market, and also visit the Monte Naranco on the outskirts of the city and enjoy the Asturian cuisine.

Oviedo, in Asturias, is a perfect destination to tour during a weekend getaway or a short 2-day stay, so I suggest you start the itinerary of the first day by the main sites of the old town, which includes the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Plaza del Fontan and the Municipal Market.

Outside the old part during the first day you can also visit the Campo de San Francisco, which is one of the most characteristic of Oviedo and Asturias, to rest and relax before ending the tour in the Cider Boulevard of Gascona Street, which is composed of the best cider bars in the city.

Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador de Oviedo is one of the most representative attractions of the city and also a cultural reference of Asturias, as it is a mainly pre-Romanesque building, which is the preponderant Asturian art, combined with Baroque, Gothic and Romanesque, resulting in one of the most beautiful churches in Spain.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is also famous for the amount of relics it holds and for the mysteries of its treasures, such as the Holy Shroud, so to visit it is also to enter into the mysteries of Oviedo, a medieval city that for centuries was one of the most important in northern Spain.

During your visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral you can also visit the Holy Chamber, where the jewels of the local curia are kept, and the Old Tower, which was designed as a bell tower but was later reduced to a watchtower, so from there you can see some of the best open views of Oviedo.

• Price... The entrance fee is approximately 7 euros.
• Hours... Monday to Saturday from 10.00 to 13.00 and from 16.00 to 17.00 hours.
• Location... Plaza Alfonso II El Casto s/n, Oviedo.

Walk around the Plaza del Fontán

Oviedo is a city that stands out for its churches, but also for its squares and among them El Fontán is one of the most famous, as it had historical relevance during the Middle Ages and later centuries, serving as a carriage market, meeting point, public square of the Inquisition and since 1885 as the headquarters of the municipal covered market.

El Fontán also stands out for the colorful exterior arcades of the buildings inside and because it is located in a strategic area of Oviedo, near the Constitution and Trascorrales squares and the Palace of the Marquis of San Feliz, the Church of San Isidoro El Real and the sculpture of El Vendedor de Pescado (The Fish Seller).

To get to the Plaza del Fontán from the Cathedral you have to walk for four streets towards the Jardines de la Rodriga side. El Fontán is also a meeting point for some of Oviedo's best excursions, which include walking through the historic center of the city and visiting the museums.

Lunch at El Fontán Municipal Market

As you will see, Oviedo is a city to walk around and discover other sites on the way between each of the attractions. Opposite the Plaza del Fontán is the Municipal Market, a traditional flea market where you can find fresh food in the market's greengrocers, fishmongers and butchers.

The Municipal Market, like others in Spain, is a place frequented by locals, so if you are one of those who prefer to know the daily life of the inhabitants of the city you are visiting, you can walk through this flea market to cross paths with thousands of Oviedo locals while shopping.

In this flea market, you can also have lunch at one of the stalls with local products before continuing your tour of the city. Among the food places in the Municipal Market you will find cafes and bakeries and also some tapas and fast food places, which will be ideal if you plan to visit Oviedo in children

• Price... Entrance to the market is free.
• Hours... Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm and Saturday from 8.00 am to 3.30 pm.
• Location... Plaza 19 de Octubre s/n, Oviedo.

Walk through the Campo de San Francisco

The Campo de San Francisco is an urban park located in the center of Oviedo, but outside the area traditionally known as the old town. You can reach this green lung, which is the most emblematic of the city and one of the most representative of Asturias, in a 10-minute walk along the 5 streets that separate it from the Municipal Market.

In the Campo de San Francisco, which brings together the orchards of the old Convent of Oviedo, you can walk along its avenues and the avenues of Los Alamos, Bombé, José Cuesta and Alemania. It is also noted for a large pond and the monument of José Tartiere and the statue of Mafalda, the protagonist of the famous newspaper strip by the cartoonist Quino.

This park is also a regular venue for concerts, festivals and cultural events, and is also bathed in Christmas spirit during the holidays, so if you plan to visit Oviedo in December you can get to know one of the epicenters of Christmas in the city.

The Campo de San Francisco is also a site of lush Asturian vegetation and has several species of birds inhabiting the pond. It is also located in a strategic point of the city that will be useful if you plan to visit the Museum of Archeology or the Museum of Fine Arts, two of the most representative museums of Oviedo.

• Price... Entrance to the park is free.
• Hours... It is open every day, 24 hours a day.
• Location... Intersection of Uría and Conde de Toreno streets, Oviedo.

Walk along the Cider Boulevard

For the closing of the first day I suggest you to walk along the Cider Boulevard in Gascona Street, which pays tribute to Oviedo as one of the Asturian capitals of the drink. There you can visit the most famous cider houses of the capital of Asturias and also enjoy the local cuisine to accompany the drinks at sunset.

The Cider Boulevard can be reached from the Campo de San Francisco in a six-street walk that will take you approximately 10 minutes and that will allow you to know on the way the Plaza de la Escandalera, which contains La Maternidad, a work of Colombian artist Fernando Botero.

In the Cider Boulevard, in addition to different variants of the drink, you can also try some dishes of Asturian food such as fabada, cachopo, bollos preñaos and frixuelos.

After the tour of the first day that included a walk through the main sites of the historic center I propose you to leave the center of Oviedo to know the outskirts of the city, which is highlighted by the Monte Naranco, a mountain range from which you can see the whole city and also the Picos de Europa from the viewpoints during clear days.

You can also visit the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is one of the most famous images of Oviedo, the Purificación Tomás Park and the beginning of the Primitive Way to Santiago de Compostela. To close your intensive tour of the Asturian capital I suggest you enjoy the local cuisine in some of the restaurants in the historic center.

Visit Monte Naranco, one of the balconies of Spain

Monte Naranco is a mountain range crowned by the Pico el Paisano, from which it is possible to contemplate the Picos de Europa, especially during clear days. If you plan to visit Oviedo in summer you can make the most of this natural attraction, which is also one of the most representative of Asturias, although it offers activities during all seasons of the year.

In Monte Naranco you can also visit the recreational area, the viewpoints, the Christ and the Church of Santa Maria del Naranco, a construction of the ninth century that remains standing and offers testimony of the pre-Romanesque art that characterized Asturias as one of the cultural avant-garde of the Middle Ages.

You can reach Monte Naranco from the old town on bus lines A, E and J and then continue walking or on a hiking tour to reach the peaks of the mountain range.

Visit the Sacred Heart of Jesus Monument

This monument is one of the most representative within Monte Naranco and stands out because it is located at the top of the sierra, being the most famous of the more than 100 urban monoliths found in the Asturian capital. This stone sculpture represents Christ the Redeemer and reaches 30 meters in height.

From the areas surrounding the monument it is possible to contemplate some of the best open views of Oviedo and also to take dimension of the size of Mount Naranco, which with its six kilometers of arched extension is one of the watchtowers of the north of Spain.

Entrance to the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is free and it is open every day 24 hours a day, as is the mountain, although it is best to visit during daylight hours to get the most out of the tour.

Resting in the Purificación Tomás Park

The tour of Mount Taranco and the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at a leisurely pace will take you between 3 and 4 hours in total, so to relax I suggest a tour of the Purificación Tomás Park, an open space that stands out for its hills and the animals that inhabit it, such as rabbits and squirrels.

In this park you can also opt for hiking tours and is located a few blocks away from the Paseo de la Florida, where you can have lunch and visit the cider house Pichote, which is one of the most recognized in the city.

From there also start someof the best excursions from Oviedo to nearby areas such as Cudillero and Covadonga, so it is a place you will probably visit at some point in your tour.

You can get to the Purificación Tomás Park from Monte Taranco by bus lines A and E.

• Price... Entrance to the park is free.
• Hours.... Every day from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm.
• Location... Oviedo, Asturias.

Learn about the Way of St. James of Compostela

Oviedo is part of the first stop on the Primitive Way of St. James of Compostela, so its history is inseparable from the tradition that attracts millions of tourists every year who try to face the pilgrim challenge. In the area of the Purificación Tomás Park is the starting point of the primitive route and even if you are not prepared to do the whole way you can opt for an excursion that covers half of a section.

On these half-day tours you can cover 12 kilometers of the first stretch between Oviedo and San Juan de Villapañada and get to know the traditional sites while tasting the local flavors and learning more about one of Spain's most representative cultural events.

These excursions, in addition, grant the corresponding stamp in the passport of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, so in addition to discovering some of the secrets of an ancient custom you can also have a diploma that will certify you as a pilgrim of the first stage of the journey.

Enjoy Asturian cuisine

As in most cities and regions of Spain, in Oviedo the local gastronomy is one of the attractions to discover. In addition to the cider houses on Gascona street, there are restaurants in the old town where you can taste the fabada, which is the typical Asturian dish, cachopo, goat pie, escalopines, pote, pixín and chorizo in cider, a tapa that you will love if you plan to visit Oviedo in winter.

Some of the places where you can enjoy Asturian gastronomy are Cocina Cabral, El Fartuquin, Casa Conrado y Suárez, La Forquilla and Taberna El Dorado, where you can also try seafood, squid and fresh fish from the coast of Gijón.

Among the sweet alternatives I recommend you try the rice pudding, the carbayones, the casadielles, the moscovitas cookies and the frixuelos, which are one of the typical Asturian sweets.